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Access Technology Blog

Welcome to our Access Technology Blog section! The NFB Jernigan Institute Access Technology team is always on the lookout for new and better ways to give blind people access to technology, as the ever-growing International Braille and Technology Center attests. In these tips we want to share some of the pointers manufacturers and developers share with us to help you learn about new applications and new programs, and to help you find new functionality in familiar products. The Access Technology team works with the relevant manufacturers and developers to obtain the tips listed here, to make sure that you get the best and latest about anything new in the world of non-visual access technology.

By Scott DavertFor quite some time, deaf-blind users of iDevices have been able to use face to face communication with the public through the notes app. This consists typically of an iDevice (iPod, iPad, or iPhone) paired with a Braille display and Bluetooth keyboard. The deaf-blind person can then type using the Braille input keys on their display, while the sighted and hearing person types on the Bluetooth keyboard. All text shows up on both the Braille display and the screen of the iDevice. Now, there is another app on the market geared toward this specific purpose.

Barnes and Noble NOOK on iOS! Real, Usable Access to the Nook catalog for the First Time Ever! (at least mostly). The Barnes and Noble Nook app is Accessible to VoiceOver users on iOS!!! Those of us who have been dancing impatiently in our chairs waiting for books to be made available that aren't presently offered on Blio or iBooks are understandably excited by this announcement. It's been wending its way around Twitter all day. It's the biggest news since all the Black Friday/Cyber Monday/Giving Tuesday tweets of the last week.

Note from the editor: Accessibility in higher education is a critical issue, and Pearson has worked hard to address it - so make sure Elaine gets your feedback!

Dear Readers,It is a pleasure to be writing this guest post for the NFB’s AT blog. I’m Elaine Ober, and I’m part of Pearson’s Higher Education division (www.pearsonhighered.com). In addition to working with our editorial teams on accessible content, I monitor an email mailbox specifically for college students and instructors who are blind or who have disabilities that impact access to our products — disability.support@pearson.com.

The Kindle Paperwhite arrived here today, and my review will be very, very brief. Unsurprisingly enough, it’s completely inaccessible. Other than having adjustable fonts in the books (not the menus), the device has nothing to offer a low vision or blind reader. It’s a shame, as, unlike the Nook Tablet reviewed earlier, the Kindle Paperwhite is a simple, seamless experience packaged in nice, simple hardware. A real shame.